The Poison Pill That Lured Them to the Desert of Buried Immortals, Gu He Crossed the River of Two Extremes

The battlefield among the wind-eroded stone pillars, once ravaged by fierce combat, still bore the scent of incineration. Slashes in space, like scars on the earth, wailed faintly in the scorching sand, as if recounting the breathtaking battle that had just taken place. Xiao Zhan's figure quietly merged into the ripples of space, like a drop of water disappearing into the sea, without a sound. When he appeared again, he was already standing firmly atop the enormous metal foundation of the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda. The foundation radiated surging Earth Vein Dragon Qi, like a slumbering giant dragon slowly awakening and releasing boundless majesty and power.

Below the foundation, the traces of battle remained clear. Shattered rocks lay scattered in disarray, like branches and leaves left behind by a raging storm. A frozen, dark-purple, human-shaped outline in the dust marked the strange remains of Rock Specter after his annihilation, as if telling of his former strength and terror. The stench of Soul Poison and the lingering aura of destruction mingled in the air, refusing to disperse, a foul imprint left behind by the battle. Under Yue Mei's command, the surviving Snake-People Tribe warriors were clearing the battlefield in an orderly fashion. They carefully carried away the wounded, every movement filled with reverence for life. When they looked at Xiao Yi Xian, standing alone at the edge of the foundation with violet eyes deep as an abyssal pool, their gazes brimmed with awe and gratitude, as if they saw the first glimmer of hope in her.

Xiao Yan was clutching his chest, a trace of dried blood at the corner of his mouth. His face was pale as paper, but his eyes shone with unusual brightness, as if two blazing flames burned within them. He strode toward the foundation, every step firm and resolute.

"Father!" Seeing the blood on Xiao Zhan's left shoulder and the fatigue lingering between his brows, Xiao Yan's heart clenched as if an invisible hand had seized it. His worry was plain in his voice. "Your injury..."

"It's nothing." Xiao Zhan's voice was steady and strong, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, reassuring all who heard it. His gaze swept over the Dragon Qi Vortex at the center of the foundation, its steady pulse like the heartbeat of the earth, beating out the rhythm of life. Then he looked at Xiao Yi Xian and gave a slight nod, his eyes full of praise and gratitude. "We have you to thank, Miss Xiao Yi Xian. You acted in time to stabilize the foundation." He could clearly sense that the Dragon Qi flowed more smoothly and steadily than before, like a surging river with nothing to obstruct its course. Clearly, it was the result of Xiao Yi Xian carefully guiding it with the power of her Poison Pill. Her efforts had been a lamp in the darkness, turning the tide of the battle.

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head slightly. Her cool violet eyes, like the most mysterious stars in the vast night sky, drifted toward the terrifying wound on Xiao Zhan's left shoulder. The flesh had been torn open, and a green-black Deathly Silence Power coiled around it like a venomous snake, emanating a strange aura. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as she said softly, "Uncle Xiao's wound... contains an extremely powerful Deathly Silence Rule. This force is even more domineering and difficult to deal with than the poison remaining in your brow." As she spoke, her fingertips trembled, and a wisp of dark-violet poison mist, deep as night, curled around them like a nimble purple serpent. "Perhaps... I can try suppressing it."

"Please." Xiao Zhan remained composed and did not refuse. The fierce battle with the Nether Duo had just ended, and he had taken Elder Ming's Death Soul Spear head-on—a strike imbued with the terrifying Deathly Silence Rule. The injury to his left shoulder was far worse than it appeared. The Deathly Silence Power clung to the wound like a bone-deep parasite, constantly devouring the vitality of his flesh and blood. Like icy frost, it hindered the Dragon-Phoenix Power from repairing the damage and kept the wound from healing.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward with light, graceful steps. The wisp of dark-violet poison mist at her fingertips was like the most delicate probe in the world. Cautiously, it edged toward the wound. With every fraction of an inch, she could feel the resistance and threat emanating from the Deathly Silence Power.

Hiss... sizzle...

At that moment, something suddenly changed!

When the violet poison thread touched the edge of the green-black wound, thick with the aura of deathly silence, it did not slowly break down and dissolve the way it had the residual Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison. Instead, it was like cold water dropped into boiling oil, provoking an instant, violent reaction!

Vmmmm—!!!

The green-black Deathly Silence Power in Xiao Zhan's left shoulder seemed utterly enraged. Like a beast that had slept for ages, it suddenly awoke. It contracted inward, gathering all its power together, then burst forth like an erupting volcano! A pitch-black current, several times more violent than before, icy and bone-piercing and filled with the will to destroy, surged out like a black dragon. Brimming with fury and killing intent, it slammed into Xiao Yi Xian's violet poison thread!

Boom!

In an instant, an invisible wave of energy erupted between them like a raging tide. The force was so violent it seemed like the collision of the fiercest storms in heaven and earth. Xiao Yi Xian felt an enormous impact slam into her. With a muffled grunt, most of the violet poison threads coiling around her fingertips were instantly swept away, like dead leaves caught in a gale. Her delicate frame swayed like a willow branch in the wind, and she staggered back two steps before regaining her balance. A flash of undisguised astonishment crossed her cool violet eyes. The Deathly Silence Power's resistance was astonishingly tenacious, and the level of its rules far exceeded her expectations. It was like an impassable mountain barring her way.

At the same time, a tearing pain shot through the wound in Xiao Zhan's left shoulder, as if countless blades were cutting into it all at once. Pale golden blood mingled with the expelled green-black shards of deathly ice and shot through the air like arrows loosed from a bow, tracing strange arcs. He grunted as illusory crimson-gold dragon scales appeared across his skin. They gleamed with a mysterious, majestic light like ancient armor, forcibly suppressing the agitated wound and temporarily binding the rampant Deathly Silence Power.

"It won't work!" Xiao Yi Xian steadied her breathing, her voice grave and cool as a winter wind. "This power... its rules are on a far higher level. My Poison Pill can provoke a slight change in it, but I can't force it down or break it apart. I'll only provoke a backlash. If I try to purify it by force, we'll both suffer. That would be like an egg striking a rock—nothing but overestimating myself."

Xiao Zhan's eyes were cold as stars in the winter night. He had long known that a Soul Hall Saint's power would not be easy to deal with. This Deathly Silence Power was like a beast lurking in the dark, cunning and dangerous. "It's fine. Just suppress it for now. I'll settle this score sooner or later." His voice was low and resolute, like an oath from the depths of an abyss.

With that, he turned his hand over and took several healing pills, their faint medicinal fragrance like sweet dew of life. Working with the Dragon-Phoenix Power surging within him, he temporarily forced the rampaging Deathly Silence Power in his left shoulder back into the depths of the wound. Yet the icy sensation of its corrosive invasion remained, clinging to him like a bone-deep parasite and constantly gnawing at his vitality. He could not afford to let his guard down for even a moment.

"Father, I have something important to report!" Seeing that his father's injury was temporarily under control, Xiao Yan felt the heavy stone in his heart settle a little and hurried forward. His expression was complicated, excitement interwoven with gravity, as if a blazing fire burned within him, shrouded by an invisible layer of frost.

Xiao Zhan's gaze turned to his son, sharp as a torch. His voice was steady and strong. "Go on."

"It's about the third Bronze Fragment!" Xiao Yan lowered his voice, his eyes glimmering with a strange, mysterious light, as if concealing endless secrets. "Just now, when the foundation came under attack, the fragment I left in the quiet chamber suddenly began to move violently, as if awakened by some mysterious force! I forced myself to connect with it, and in an instant, I saw a vision in my mind—a terrifying domain of death!" He quickly composed himself and unfolded the scene he had witnessed like a painted scroll. "Broken stars drifted through the dark cosmos like withered petals. The burning Chaos Demon Flame raged like a savage beast, devouring everything around it. A filthy river of blood wound through the land like a giant dragon, flowing with endless death and despair. Ancient bones stretched out like mountain ranges, like a tragic epic left behind by ancient gods and demons. Then there was the 'Ancient River of Buried Gods,' spanning the forbidden land and formed from nothing but spatial turbulence. It was like a black serpent, exuding a chilling aura. And on the far bank, atop the 'Demon Peak of Bones' shrouded in demonic flames, a massive Bronze Fragment stood embedded at an angle—like a summons from ancient times, or perhaps an invitation to death!"

"Desert of Buried Immortals... Ancient River of Buried Gods... Demon Peak of Bones..." Xiao Zhan slowly repeated the three names. His eyes grew profound and grave, as if he could pierce the mists of time and space to see that unknown forbidden land. Though he had never been there, Xiao Yan's description alone let him sense its terror and danger! It was a forbidden realm far more perilous than the ordinary dangerous places on the Dou Qi Continent, a hall of death concealing countless secrets and threats.

"System, search for 'Desert of Buried Immortals,'" Xiao Zhan silently commanded in his mind, his quiet voice carrying unshakable resolve.

[Searching... Incomplete information...]

[Desert of Buried Immortals: Possibly formed when fragments of an ancient battlefield of gods and demons fell into the Northwest Region of the Dou Qi Continent. The structure of space here is extremely unstable, and its laws twisted and chaotic. It is filled with the fury of Chaos Demon Flame, the ravages of spatial turbulence, the chill of ancient baleful energy, and lurking unknown horrors. Extremely dangerous! Those below Dou Zun who enter have nine chances in ten of dying!]

[Ancient River of Buried Gods: A core perilous area of the Desert of Buried Immortals, composed of pure spatial turbulence and fragments of shattered laws. Fragments of time and space within the river are like sharp blades, containing terrifying powers of tearing and banishment. 'Corrosive God Poison Miasma' hangs over the river and can corrode Dou Qi and souls. Even Dou Zong experts cannot endure it for long.]